Nudge Helps Practices with Antibiotics
A new study finds programs that appeal to the competitive spirit of physicians are effective in getting them to reduce their incidence of prescribing unnecessary antibiotics.
How MRSA Rates Sunk 42% at SC Health System
After a South Carolina health system introduced an electronic system for monitoring handwashing compliance among clinical staff, it saw MRSA rates plummet.
CMS Finalizes New Emergency Preparedness Rule
CMS announced last week that it had finalized new emergency response requirements for healthcare providers participating in the Medicare or Medicaid system. The new rule comes as a response to a string of disasters, natural and mad-made, including the recent flooding in Louisiana.
Nurses At The Frontline of Hand Hygiene
Hospitals are always looking for ways to improve hand hygiene at their facility, given both the financial incentive of avoiding fines and patient safety concerns. The Mayo Clinic in Florida expanded the role of nurses in hand-hygiene compliance, making them the frontline advocates and “watchdogs” of hand hygiene.
Culture Building Tops List of Must-Have Leadership Skills
Cultivating a culture, communicating, and building a team are the most important leadership skills for facing the demands of an evolving healthcare landscape. So say the nearly 500 executives, clinical leaders, and clinicians who responded to the NEJM Catalyst Insights Council’s recent leadership survey.
ACS Lays Out Attire Guidelines for Surgeons
By Alexandra Wilson Pecci In addition to reflecting patients’ preferences for a professional manner of dress, the attire guidelines for surgeons also incorporate concerns over quality of care and patient safety. Wearing soiled scrubs in front of family members, letting surgical masks dangle, and leaving large sideburns uncontained during surgery are all no-nos for … Continued
Texas Institute for Patient Safety Takes Aim at Medical Students
New collaborative effort will focus on incorporating patient safety into medical school.
In May, the University of North Texas (UNT) Health and Science Center announced a new collaborative aimed at improving patient care throughout the state and reducing medical errors across the continuum of care.
Aligning Corporate Culture in Newly Acquired Hospitals
By Ahmad Chaudhry, PhD, MBA Organizational culture is defined as “the way things are done” within an organization (Certo, 2006). The ways an organization conducts its business, treats its employees, allows freedom in decision-making, and manages the flow of information all help build culture. Researchers define organizational culture as the set of shared values and … Continued
ISMP: Turn Short-Term Fixes Into Long-Term Remedies
Healthcare practitioners are repeatedly challenged by unexpected problems they encounter due to both large and small work-system failures that hinder patient care. The list of failures is varied and quite long, often making it difficult or impossible to execute tasks as designed (Edmondson, 2004).
Medical Errors Are The Third Leading Cause of Death: Now What?
Medical errors account for more than 250,000 deaths each year, ranking it third on the CDC’s list of common causes of death behind heart disease and cancer, but ahead of chronic respiratory disease, suicide, and car accidents, according to a recent study published in The BMJ.